|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
Don't let the FDA increase
irradiation x-ray levels! A few days before Christmas, the Food and Drug Administration quietly announced that they were granting an industry petition to increase the permitted energy level of X-rays used to irradiate food. At this higher energy level, it is possible for the components of the food to become "activated" (become radioactive). The industry claims that any radioactivity will be short-lived. But we think it is unacceptable that consumers should be asked to accept any technology that creates radioactivity, no matter what the level. Additionally, the FDA has not required adequate studies of the changes, chemical or otherwise, that this increased dose could cause in food. The higher doses will allow large portions of food to be irradiated in one blast - such as shipping containers from overseas. This could increase the already enormous amount of imported meat and produce that floods U.S. markets, a growing trend that has forced tens of thousands of American farmers and ranchers out of business. The FDA has a long history of ignoring the well-documented health problems associated with irradiated foods, which can be exposed to the equivalent of up to 1 billion chest X-rays. Numerous health problems have been observed in lab animals fed irradiated foods, including premature death, stillbirths, mutations, tumors, organ damage and stunted growth. And, chemicals formed in irradiated foods called 2-ACBs have been linked to colon cancer promotion in rats and genetic damage in human cells. Send the FDA an email to object to their decision to increase the dose of X-rays used to irradiate food! The email should be sent to fdadockets@oc.fda.gov , and the subject line MUST be Docket No. 2003F-0088. ------- Sample letter Re: Docket No. 2003F-0088 - "Irradiation in the Production, Processing, and Handling of Food" To Whom It May Concern: I am writing to object to your decision to amend the food additive regulations to establish a new maximum permitted energy level for x-rays used to irradiate food. Specifically, I urge the FDA to conduct the necessary studies to determine what chemical, physical, and other changes such a change in energy level will cause in food. I also object to the agency's decision to allow this change knowing that some amount of radioactivity could be created in food treated with 7.5 MeV. It is unacceptable for consumers to be asked to tolerate any amount of radioactivity caused by a food treatment such as irradiation. A public hearing should be conducted on this matter, so that the public can raise concerns about this change with the agency. Sincerely, Audrey Hill Organizer Public Citizen 215 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20003 (202) 454-5185 Please Check out for more information: http://www.gracepublicfund.org/farming/#irradiation
|
|
|
||||||
